ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS//TAEHYUNG FF//

AFTER THE STORM

By the time Taehyung and Y/N reached his penthouse, the city lights were already glowing below them.

The day had been exhausting.

Board meetings.

Investor calls.

News reports spreading across every financial channel.

A corporate war with his father.

And yet, the moment the elevator doors closed behind them, the noise of the world seemed to fade.

Y/N kicked off her heels near the entrance with a quiet sigh.

"I think I've had enough boardrooms for one lifetime."

Taehyung loosened his tie, watching her with faint amusement.

"You handled it better than half my executives."

"That's because your executives panic too easily."

He chuckled softly and set his phone down on the counter.

For the first time all day, neither of them had a meeting to attend or a decision to make.

Just silence.

The comfortable kind.

Y/N walked toward the massive window overlooking the city.

The skyline stretched endlessly, glowing with millions of lights.

"You know," she said quietly, "when I accepted your offer I expected a challenging job."

Taehyung came to stand beside her.

"Was today not challenging enough?"

"Oh, it was."

She glanced at him.

"But I didn't expect to help start a corporate war."

He leaned lightly against the window frame.

"You didn't start it."

"I escalated it."

"That too."

They both smiled slightly.

A moment later, Y/N turned fully toward him.

"You should know something."

Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds serious."

"It is."

She crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"When your father called this morning..."

"Yes?"

"For a second," she admitted quietly, "I thought you might actually consider what he said."

Taehyung's expression shifted.

"You thought I'd remove you from the company."

"It would've been the easy solution."

A long pause followed.

Then he stepped closer.

"You still don't understand something."

"What?"

His voice softened.

"I didn't choose you because it was easy."

He gently reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.

"I chose you because it was the only choice that made sense."